Wire feeding device for stapling machines



Feb. 7, 1933. G. E. BREECE 1,896,661

WIRE FEEDING DEVICE FOR ST-APLING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l fNz/euiun Z6 44 5 EU! a EBPEELE Feb. 7, 1933. G, E, BREECE 1,896,661

WIRE FEEDING DEVICE FOR STAPLING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FLU. Z.

5501" 5' E ETEE'GEL Feb.-7. 1933. G, E. BREECE WIRE FEEDING DEVICE FOR STAPLING MACHINES 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Feb. 20, 1951 a a E E 5 D- E 5 W m 5 Feb. 7, 1933. BREECE 1,896,661

WIRE FEEDING DEVICE FOR STAPLING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 20, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A 'YI E02" 5' EE g W /7744190 Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES- GEORGE E. BitEEcE, 0E ALBUQUERQUE, NEW M xmo WIRE FEEDING nEvIoE Eon srAr me MACHINES:

Original application filed February 20,

My invention relates to a wire feeding device for stapling machines and is a division of my patent application, 'Serial No.'517,181, filed February 20, 1931, for stapling machine.

My invention relates to a stapling machine such as used for stapling crates and the like and in which wire from coils is fed to the machine and forms the staples. My invention is applied as an improvement on what are known as chain feed stapling machines in which the sides or parts of the box crate are fed to the machine in an assembled position and may then have the staples driven into these assembled parts of the crate.

With this type of machine one of the objects and features of myinvention is in the feeding of the stapling wire and comprises an arrangement for periodically gripping the wire and feeding it forwardly and at substantially the same time giving a rocking mo tion to guide tubes carrying the wire, the feed of the wire being synchronized with part of the machine for forming the staples and driving these.

A still further object and feature of my invention is a construction by which the mounting of the spools of wire and the mechanism for feeding the wire to the stapling machine may be incorporated with the parts of a standard and now used machine and in which I may make use of a driven shaft to form the drive mechanism for feeding the wire.

A further detailed object and feature of my invention in connection with the wire feeding is the employment of a roughened or knurled wheel driven by a shaft, there being one wheel for each of the wires to be fed, and each of these wheels has a gear wheel in connection therewith. The gear wheel meshes with a small pinion driven thereby and this pinion has a small knurled wheel adapted to grip the opposite side of the wire from the driven knurled wheel and thereby, when both of these wheels are in feeding relation, to feed the wire. The small knurled wheel is mounted on a crank typeof shaft and is given an oscillating and partly reciprocating movement by means of a cam actuated in a step bystep manner by a pawl and ratchet device, this operation being linked 1931, Serial No. 517,181. Divided and this application filed December 17, 1931. Serial No. 581,654.

with a cross beam of the stapling machine to work in synchronism with the driving of the staples. The retraction of the small gear wheel, which is mounted on a radius arm, from the shaft carrying the main knurled wheel releasesthe grip on the wire and a reverse motion toward the machine gives a grip for feeding the wire. The driven shaft for operating the wire feed isactuated by a pawl and ratchet movement interconnected with operating parts of the machine.

My invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine taken in the direction of the arrow 1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 33 of Fig; 2 in the direction of the arrows;-

Fig. 4 is a detailed'vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows, omitting parts which would cause confusion;

Fig. 5 is a detailed section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a detailed section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows. 7

Referring to the general construction of the machine, this has side columns or posts 11 spaced apart and between these there extends a table 12, and underneath this table there operates an endless chain 13. This chain has a series of pusher devices 14 attached thereto, these pusher devices in the upper run extending upwardly into slots in the table. The stapling head 15 has a reciprocating vertical motion, being carried by a cross head or cross beam 16, this being operated by rods 17 on opposite sides of the machine driven by' an eccentric 18 from the driven shaft 19. These andother features of the drive mechanism are parts of the old and standard machine. 7 r

In my arrangement I employ a platform 20 supported from the columns or posts 11 and on this there are mounteda series of spools 21, these spools carrying the wire for the stapling. A series of spools are shown to feed wire for each line of staples. The wire from each spool passes through a uide tube 22, which tube is attached to a roc ing lever 23 at the top as indicated at 24, and the lower end of each tube is supported by a bracket 25 mounted on a pivot shaft 26. The tube is given a rocking motion by means of the rock shaft 27 (note particularly Fig. 4) which is mounted underneath the platform 20 and which has a bell crank 28 connected thereto. Each bell crank has an arm 29 which has a pivotal connection to a link 30. These links at their lower end have a pivotal attachment 31 to the cross head 16 and, therefore, in the up and down motion of this cross head the end 32 of the bell crank is given a rocking motion, and by means of the link 33 attached thereto and also attached to the rod 23 this rod and the guide tube are given a slight rocking action.

The wire feeding mechanism employs a bracket 34 attached to each column or post and in such bracket there is j ournaled a wire feeding shaft 35. This shaft has a gear 36 connected thereto for each wire to be fed and directly connected to each of the gears there is a roughened or knurled wheel 37 (note the section of Fig. 6) this wheel having a hub 38. A radius arm 39 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 35 and carries a crank shaft 40 mounted therein. This crank shaft has a geared pinion 41 thereon which has teeth meshing with the teeth of the gear 36. The crank end 42 of this shaft carries a small knurled or roughened wheel 43. This wheel and the wheel 37 have complementary grooves for the wire 44.

The mechanism for oscillating the radius arm 39 and periodically bringing the small knurled wheel 43 into feeding engagement with the knurled wheel 37 is as follows, having reference particularly to Fig. 4:

An adjustable reciprocating rod 45 has an arm 46 connected thereto, which arm is secured to the crank shaft 40, which is moun ed on the radius arm 39. The rod 45 has a slot 47, through which slot extends a transverse shaft 48. The shaft is provided with one ratchet wheel 49, which ratchet wheel is operated by a pawl 50 connected to an adjustable reciprocating link 51. This link has its lower end connected to a radius arm 52 on the shaft 48 having a pivotal connection 53 with this radius arm. The upper end of the link is operated by a rock arm 54 which is connected to the rock shaft 27. In the operation of the ratchet wheel 49 and, hence, the rotation of the shaft 48, a cam 55 for each wire is rotated and this cam bears against a pressure wheel 56 mounted on the rod 45 and thus gives a reciprocating motion to this rod, which action causes a backward and forward rolling of the pinion 41 on the gear wheel 36 and a release of the small knurled wheel 43 from driving in relation with the wire due to the crank action of the small crank shaft 40. A compression spring 57 is utilized to retract the rod 45.

As the arm 46 is rigidly secured to the crank shaft 40 the oscillation of the radius arm 39 carrying the small pinion 41 causes the movement of the small knurled wheel 43 to and from the knurled wheel 37 for releasing and feeding the wire.

While in my drawings I have illustrated the various shafts used in connection with the wire feed as being secured to the structural frame on the stapling machine it is to be understood that mountings other than those illustrated may be utilized.

Various changes have been made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a stapling machine, a wire feeding mechanism comprising a driving shaft hav ing a driving gear mounted thereon and a feeding wheel connected to said gear, a radius arm on the shaft, a driven pinion operatively connect-ed to said arm, said driven pinion having a con'iplementary feeding wheel connected thereto, and means to oscillate the arm, the connection between the arm and the pinion and the complementary feeding wheel causing a periodic release of the wire by such complementary feeding wheel.

2. In a stapling machine, a wire feeding mechanism comprising a driving shaft having a driving gear connected thereto, a feeding wheel for the wire connected to said gear, a radius arm rotatably mounted 011 the shaft, a crank shaft connected to said arm and having a pinion mounted thereon, said pinion being connected to a complementary feeding wheel, and means to oscillate the radius arm periodically to periodically release the complementary feeding wheel from the wire.

3. In a stapling machine as claimed in claim 2, the means to oscillate the radius arm comprising a reciprocating rod and means to operate said rod periodically, and a connection between the arm and the said crank shaft.

4. In a stapling machine, a wire feeding mechanism comprising a feeding shaft having a driving gear connected thereto, a feeding wheel connected to said gear, a radius arm on the said shaft, a crank shaft mounted on said arm and having pinion thereon and a complementary feeding wheel, a reciprocating rod having a connection to the crank shaft, and an operative connection between the reciprocating rod and a reciprocating part of the stapling machine.

5. In a stapling machine as claimed in claim 4, the operative connection from the rod to the stapling machine comprising a rock shaft driven by the reciprocating part of the machine, a rock arm connected to said rock shaft, a link connected to the rock arm, and a drive connection between the link and the reciprocating rod.

6. In a stapling machine as claimed in claim 4, the operative connection from the rod to the stapling machine comprising a transverse shaft, a cam on said shaft, with a connection between said cam and the reciprocating rod, a ratchet wheel on the transverse shaft, a link having a radius arm connected to said transverse shaft, a pawl on the link engaging the ratchet, and a drive connection from the link to the reciprocating part of the stapling machine.

7. In a stapling machine, a driving wheel to engage a wire, a complementary driving wheel, and means to periodically release the complementary wheel from the wire including a rock shaft having a rock arm, a link connected thereto, a driving connection from the rock shaft to a reciprocating part of the stapling machine, and a connection from the link to the complementary feeding wheel to oscillate said wheel and thereby periodically release the wheel from the wire.

8. In a stapling machine, a feeding shaft having a driving gear thereon, a feeding wheel for a wire connected to said gear, a radius arm on the shaft having a crank shaft, a pinion on the crank shaft, a complementary feeding wheel connected to the pinion, a slotted reciprocating rod with a transverse shaft extending through said slot, a cam on said shaft to engage the reciprocating rod, a connection from the rod to the crank shaft, and means to step by step rotate said transverse shaft.

9. In a stapling machine as claimed in claim 8, the means to rotate the transverse shaft comprising a rock shaft, means to drive said shaft from a reciprocating part of the stapling machine, a ratchet on the transverse shaft, and apawl cooperating therewith, and means actuating the pawl from said rock shaft.

10. In a stapling machine as claimed in claim 8, a guide tube for the wire, an oscillating mounting for the lower end of said tube, a rock lever connected to the upper part of the tube, a bell crank with a connection to a reciprocating part of the stapling machine, and means to operate the rock lever from the bell crank.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE E. BREECE. 

